Elastic solid ball structure

ABSTRACT

An elastic solid ball structure of the present invention includes at least a thermoplastic polyurethane foam sphere center and a first adhesive layer, a first spherical lamina, a second adhesive layer, and a second spherical lamina sequentially disposed on the external surface of the thermoplastic polyurethane foam sphere center. The overall diameter of the elastic solid ball structure is 8 cm-26 cm. In addition, at least one protruding portion or at least one indentation portion is formed on the external surface of the thermoplastic polyurethane foam sphere center, thereby forming an irregular circular surface thereon. The described structural design provides the elastic solid ball structure of the present invention with advantages including good elasticity, a long serviceable life, permanently dispensing with the need to inflate, and eliminating having to re-inflate the ball structure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION (a) Field of the Invention

The structure of the present invention relates to an elastic solid ballstructure, and more particularly relates to an elastic solid ballstructure having advantages including good elasticity, a longserviceable life, permanently dispensing with the need to inflate, andeliminating having to re-inflate the ball structure.

(b) Description of the Prior Art

The various types of inflatable spherical bodies, such as volleyballs,footballs, and basketballs, usually comprise a laminated structure thatcombines a body case, a limiting structure, and a bladder. The body caseforms the outer layer of the spherical body, and is generally formedfrom durable, wear resistant material. The limiting structure forms themiddle layer of the spherical body, and is fixedly positioned between abladder and the body case to limit expansion of the bladder. In general,the bladder has an inflatable spherical body that is positioned insidethe limiting structure to provide an inner layer of the spherical body.In order to facilitate inflation (i.e., inflating with air), the bladderusually includes a one-way inflation valve that extends through thelimiting structure and the body case, thereby enabling inflation of thebladder from the exterior of the spherical body.

The aforementioned characteristics of inflatable hollow spherical bodiesare formed at the same time during production of the entire sphericalbody. The inflation nozzle is a relatively complex one-way inflationvalve structure, which causes the entire cost of the inflatablespherical body to be relatively high. Moreover, because such inflatablespherical bodies are hollow, they have high resilience when struck, aswell as being resistant to wear. However, after being used for a periodof time, the air inside will naturally leak out, resulting in thespherical body loosing its elasticity, and thus requiring the need foran inflating tool to regularly repeat inflation of the spherical body.Accordingly, inflatable spherical bodies of the prior art areinconvenient in use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The technical problems resolved by the structure of the presentinvention enable providing an elastic solid ball structure havingadvantages including good elasticity, a long serviceable life,permanently dispensing with the need to inflate, and eliminating havingto re-inflate the ball structure.

The technological means adopted in the present invention are asdescribed below.

According to the object of the structure of the present invention, anelastic solid ball structure is provided that comprises at least: athermoplastic polyurethane foam sphere center formed from thermoplasticpolyurethane foam material; and a first adhesive layer, a firstspherical lamina, a second adhesive layer, and a second spherical laminasequentially disposed on the external surface of the thermoplasticpolyurethane foam sphere center. Wherein the diameter of thethermoplastic polyurethane foam sphere center is 11 cm˜25 cm; thethickness of the first spherical lamina is 1 mm˜5 mm; the thickness ofthe second spherical lamina is 0.1 mm˜0.25 mm; and the overall diameterof the elastic solid ball structure is 8 cm˜26 cm. In addition, at leastone protruding portion or at least one indentation portion is formed onthe external surface of the thermoplastic polyurethane foam spherecenter, thereby forming an irregular circular surface thereon.

The described elastic solid ball of the present invention has aninnovative structural design that provides advantages including goodelasticity, a long serviceable life, permanently dispenses with the needto inflate, as well as eliminating having to re-inflate the ballstructure, and also saves on having to purchase an inflation equipment.Moreover, contact between irregular circular surfaces is used toincrease bonding between the sphere center and the spherical lamina,which further increases the serviceable life of the elastic solid ball.

To enable a further understanding of said objectives and thetechnological methods of the invention herein, a brief description ofthe drawings is provided below followed by a detailed description of thepreferred embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a first structural schematic view of an elastic solid ball ofthe present invention.

FIG. 2 is a second structural schematic view of an elastic solid ball ofthe present invention.

FIG. 3 is a third structural schematic view of an elastic solid ball ofthe present invention.

FIG. 4 is a fourth structural schematic view of an elastic solid ball ofthe present invention.

FIG. 5 is a fifth structural schematic view of an elastic solid ball ofthe present invention.

FIG. 6 is a sixth structural schematic view of an elastic solid ball ofthe present invention.

FIG. 7 is a seventh structural schematic view of an elastic solid ballof the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an eighth structural schematic view of an elastic solid ballof the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a ninth structural schematic view of an elastic solid ball ofthe present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIG. 1, which is a structural schematic view of an elasticsolid ball of the present invention, and an elastic solid ball structure7 of the present invention comprises at least a thermoplasticpolyurethane foam sphere center 1 formed from thermoplastic polyurethanefoam material; and a first adhesive layer 2, a first spherical lamina 3,a second adhesive layer 4, and a second spherical lamina 5 sequentiallydisposed on the external surface of the thermoplastic polyurethane foamsphere center 1.

Wherein the diameter of the aforementioned thermoplastic polyurethanefoam sphere center 1 is 11 cm˜25 cm.

The first spherical lamina 3 covers the external surface of thethermoplastic polyurethane foam sphere center 1, and the thickness ofthe first spherical lamina 3 is 1 mm˜5 mm. The first spherical lamina 3can be an EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate) foamed spherical lamina, a TPE(thermoplastic elastomer) foamed spherical lamina, SBR (styrenebutadiene rubber) foamed spherical lamina, NBR (nitrile butadienerubber) foamed spherical lamina, an EPDM (ethylene propylene dieneM-class rubber) foamed spherical lamina, a SBL (styrene butadiene latex)foamed spherical lamina, POE (polyolefin elastomer) foamed sphericallamina, PE (polyethylene) foamed spherical lamina, or a TPR(thermoplastic rubber) foamed spherical lamina. The external surface ofthe thermoplastic polyurethane foam sphere center 1 mutually correspondsto the internal surface of the first spherical lamina 3, and themutually corresponding surfaces are both irregular circular surfaces.Referring together with the embodiment depicted in FIG. 2, at least oneprotruding portion 11 is formed on the external surface of thethermoplastic polyurethane foam sphere center 1, thereby forming theirregular circular surface thereon. And at least one indentation portion31 is formed on the internal surface of the first spherical lamina 3,thereby forming the irregular circular surface thereon. Accordingly,using the protruding portions 11 and the indentation portions 31increases bondability between the thermoplastic polyurethane foam spherecenter 1 and the first spherical lamina 3.

The first adhesive layer 2 is disposed between the external surface ofthe thermoplastic polyurethane foam sphere center 1 and the internalsurface of the first spherical lamina 3, thereby enabling the firstspherical lamina 3 to bond to the exterior surface of the thermoplasticpolyurethane foam sphere center 1 by means of the first adhesive layer2.

The second spherical lamina 5 covers the external surface of the firstspherical lamina 3, and the thickness of the second spherical lamina 5is 0.1 mm˜0.25 mm. The second spherical lamina 5 can be a transparentTPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) thin film, transparent PVC (polyvinylchloride) thin film, transparent PC (polycarbonate) thin film,transparent TPE (thermoplastic elastomer) thin film, transparent TPR(thermoplastic rubber) thin film, transparent PET (Polyethyleneterephthalate) thin film, or a transparent EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate)thin film.

The second adhesive layer 4 is disposed between the first sphericallamina 3 and the second spherical lamina 5, thereby enabling the firstspherical lamina 3 to bond to the external surface of the firstspherical lamina 3 By means of the second adhesive layer 4.

The aforementioned multi-layer laminated structure forms the elasticsolid ball structure 7, and the overall diameter of the elastic solidball structure 7 is 8 cm˜26 cm. Using the first spherical lamina 3 andthe second spherical lamina 5 to cover the periphery of thethermoplastic polyurethane foam sphere center 1 provides effectiveprotection of the thermoplastic polyurethane foam sphere center 1 toextend the serviceable life of the elastic solid ball structure 7 of thepresent invention.

In addition, the aforementioned structural design not only provides theelastic solid ball structure 7 of the present invention with goodelasticity and a long serviceable life, but also provides advantagesincluding permanently dispensing with the need to inflate andeliminating having to re-inflate the ball structure, as well as savingon the cost of having to purchase an inflation equipment. Moreover,contact between the irregular circular surfaces is used to increasebondability between the sphere center and the spherical lamina, whichfurther increases the serviceable life of the solid ball.

Furthermore, in the embodiment depicted in FIG. 3, at least oneindentation portion 12 can also be formed on the external surface of thethermoplastic polyurethane foam sphere center 1, thereby forming anirregular circular surface thereon. And at least one protruding portion32 is formed on the internal surface of the first spherical lamina 3,thereby forming an irregular circular surface thereon. Accordingly, theindentation portions 12 and the protruding portions 32 are similarlyused to increase bondability between the thermoplastic polyurethane foamsphere center 1 and the first spherical lamina 3.

In addition. referring to FIG. 4, the elastic solid ball structure 7 canbe further provided with a printed layer 6, which is disposed on theexternal surface of the second spherical lamina 5. The printed layer 6is used to print different patterns or trademarks on the surface of thesecond spherical lamina 5 according to needs; or the printed layer 6 canbe disposed on the internal surface of the second spherical lamina 5, asshown in FIG. 5, and then the second adhesive layer 4 is used to fixedlybond the second spherical lamina 5 printed with the printed layer 6 tothe external surface of the first spherical lamina 3; or, as shown inFIG. 6, the elastic solid ball structure 7 is provided with two of theprinted layers 6, which are disposed on the internal surface of thesecond spherical lamina 5 and the external surface of the secondspherical lamina 5, respectively, and the second adhesive layer 4 issimilarly used to fixedly bond the second spherical lamina 5 printedwith the printed layers 6 to the external surface of the first sphericallamina 3, thereby completing the elastic solid ball structure 7.

Referring to FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, in the aforementioned embodiment atleast one indentation portion 31 is formed on the internal surface ofthe first spherical lamina 3, thereby forming an irregular circularsurface thereon, and the external surface of the thermoplasticpolyurethane foam sphere center 1 coincides with the surface of thesecond spherical lamina 5, wherein the first adhesive layer 2, the firstspherical lamina 3, the second adhesive layer 4, and two ends of thesecond spherical lamina 5 are respectively provided with a first endsurface a and a second end surface b. Accordingly, a separation distanceis formed between the first end surfaces a and the second end surfacesb, with the separation distance enabling exposure to the outside of atleast one surface 111 of the at least one protruding portion 11. Theirregular circular surface of the first spherical lamina 3 is similarlyused to increase the contact area with the first adhesive layer 2 on thesurface of the first spherical lamina 3, thereby increasing bondabilitybetween the sphere center and the spherical lamina, which furtherincreases the serviceable life of the solid ball.

In addition, referring to FIG. 9, which shows the at least oneindentation portion 12 similarly formed on the external surface of thethermoplastic polyurethane foam sphere center 1, thereby forming anirregular circular surface thereon, wherein the first adhesive layer 2,the first spherical lamina 3, the second adhesive layer 4, and two endsof the second spherical lamina 5 are respectively provided with thefirst end surface a and the second end surface b. Accordingly, aseparation distance is formed between the first end surfaces a and thesecond end surfaces b, with the separation distance enabling exposure tothe outside at least one surface 121 of the at least one indentationportion 12. The irregular circular surface of the first spherical lamina3 is similarly used to increase the contact area with the first adhesivelayer 2 on the surface of the first spherical lamina 3, therebyincreasing bondability between the sphere center and the sphericallamina, which further increases the serviceable life of the solid ball.

It is of course to be understood that the embodiments described hereinare merely illustrative of the principles of the invention and that awide variety of modifications thereto may be effected by persons skilledin the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the inventionas set forth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An elastic solid ball structure, characterized inthat the structure comprises at least: a thermoplastic polyurethane foamsphere center formed from thermoplastic polyurethane foam material, thediameter of the thermoplastic polyurethane foam sphere center is 11cm˜25 cm, and at least one protruding portion is formed on the externalsurface of the thermoplastic polyurethane foam sphere center, therebyforming an irregular circular surface thereon; a first spherical lamina,the first spherical lamina covers the external surface of the thethermoplastic polyurethane foam sphere center, the thickness of the thefirst spherical lamina is 1 mm˜5 mm; a first adhesive layer, the firstadhesive layer is disposed between the external surface of thethermoplastic polyurethane foam sphere center and the internal surfaceof the first spherical lamina; a second spherical lamina, the secondspherical lamina covers the external surface of the first sphericallamina, the thickness of the second spherical lamina is 0.1 mm˜0.25 mm;and a second adhesive layer, the second adhesive layer is disposedbetween the first spherical lamina and the second spherical lamina;wherein the overall diameter of the elastic solid ball structure is 8cm˜26 cm.
 2. The elastic solid ball structure according to claim 1,characterized in that: at least one indentation portion is formed on theinternal surface of the first spherical lamina, thereby forming anirregular circular surface thereon, and at least one indentation portionmutually corresponds to the at least one protruding portion on theexternal surface of the thermoplastic polyurethane foam sphere center.3. The elastic solid ball structure according to claim 1, characterizedin that: the surface of the second spherical lamina coincides with thesurface of the at least one protruding portion formed on the externalsurface of the thermoplastic polyurethane foam sphere center.
 4. Theelastic solid ball structure according to claim 1, characterized inthat: the first adhesive layer, the first spherical lamina, the secondadhesive layer, and two ends of the second spherical lamina arerespectively provided with a first end surface and a second end surface;a separation distance is formed between the first end surfaces and thesecond end surfaces, wherein the separation distance enables exposure tothe outside of at least one surface of the at least one protrudingportion.
 5. The elastic solid ball structure according to claim 1,characterized in that: the elastic solid ball structure is provided witha printed layer, and the printed layer is disposed on the externalsurface of the second spherical lamina.
 6. The elastic solid ballstructure according to claim 1, characterized in that: the elastic solidball structure is provided with two of the printed layers, the twoprinted layers are disposed on the internal surface of the secondspherical lamina and the external surface of the second sphericallamina, respectively.
 7. The elastic solid ball structure according toclaim 1, characterized in that: the first spherical lamina is an EVA(ethylene vinyl acetate) foamed spherical lamina, a TPE (thermoplasticelastomer) foamed spherical lamina, SBR (styrene butadiene rubber)foamed spherical lamina, a NBR (nitrile butadiene rubber) foamedspherical lamina, an EPDM (ethylene propylene diene M-class rubber)foamed spherical lamina, a SBL (styrene butadiene latex) foamedspherical lamina, POE (polyolefin elastomer) foamed spherical lamina, PE(polyethylene) foamed spherical lamina, or a TPR (thermoplastic rubber)foamed spherical lamina.
 8. The elastic solid ball structure accordingto claim 1, characterized in that: the second spherical lamina is atransparent TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) thin film, transparent PVC(polyvinyl chloride) thin film, transparent PC (polycarbonate) thinfilm, transparent TPE (thermoplastic elastomer) thin film, transparentTPR (thermoplastic rubber) thin film, transparent PET (Polyethyleneterephthalate) thin film, or a transparent EVA (Ethylene vinyl acetate)thin film.
 9. An elastic solid ball structure, characterized in that,the structure comprises at least: a thermoplastic polyurethane foamsphere center formed from thermoplastic polyurethane foam material, thediameter of the thermoplastic polyurethane foam sphere center is 11cm˜25 cm, and at least one indentation portion is formed on the externalsurface of the thermoplastic polyurethane foam sphere center, therebyforming an irregular circular surface thereon; a first spherical lamina,the first spherical lamina covers the external surface of thethermoplastic polyurethane foam sphere center, the thickness of the thefirst spherical lamina is 1 mm˜5 mm; a first adhesive layer, the firstadhesive layer is disposed between the external surface of thethermoplastic polyurethane foam sphere center and the internal surfaceof the first spherical lamina; a second spherical lamina, the secondspherical lamina covers the external surface of the first sphericallamina, the thickness of the second spherical lamina is 0.1 mm˜0.25 mm;a second adhesive layer, the second adhesive layer is disposed betweenthe first spherical lamina and the second spherical lamina; wherein theoverall diameter of the elastic solid ball structure is 8 cm˜26 cm. 10.The elastic solid ball structure according to claim 9, characterized inthat: at least one protruding portion is formed on the internal surfaceof the first spherical lamina, thereby forming an irregular circularsurface thereon, and the at least one protruding portion mutuallycorresponds to the at least indentation portion on the external surfaceof the thermoplastic polyurethane foam sphere center.
 11. The elasticsolid ball structure according to claim 10, characterized in that: thefirst adhesive layer, the first spherical lamina, the second adhesivelayer, and two ends of the second spherical lamina are respectivelyprovided with a first end surface and a second end surface; a separationdistance is formed between the first end surface and the second endsurface, wherein the separation distance enables exposure to the outsideof at least one surface of the at least one indentation portion.
 12. Theelastic solid ball structure according to claim 9, characterized inthat: the elastic solid ball structure is provide with a printed layer,and the printed layer is disposed on the internal surface of the secondspherical lamina.
 13. The elastic solid ball structure according toclaim 9, characterized in that: the elastic solid ball structure isprovided with a printed layer, the printed layer is disposed on theexternal surface of the second spherical lamina.
 14. The elastic solidball structure according to claim 9, characterized in that: the elasticsolid ball structure is provided with two of the printed layers, the twoprinted layers are disposed on the internal surface of the secondspherical lamina and the external surface of the second sphericallamina, respectively.
 15. The elastic solid ball structure according toclaim 9, characterized in that: the first spherical lamina is an EVA(ethylene vinyl acetate) foamed spherical lamina, a TPE (thermoplasticelastomer) foamed spherical lamina, SBR (styrene butadiene rubber)foamed spherical lamina, a NBR (nitrile butadiene rubber) foamedspherical lamina, an EPDM (ethylene propylene diene M-class rubber)foamed spherical lamina, a SBL (styrene butadiene latex) foamedspherical lamina, POE (polyolefin elastomer) foamed spherical lamina, PE(polyethylene) foamed spherical lamina, or a TPR (thermoplastic rubber)foamed spherical lamina.
 16. The elastic solid ball structure accordingto claim 9, characterized in that: the second spherical lamina is atransparent TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) thin film, transparent PVC(polyvinyl chloride) thin film, transparent PC (polycarbonate) thinfilm, transparent TPE (thermoplastic elastomer) thin film, transparentTPR (thermoplastic rubber) thin film, transparent PET (Polyethyleneterephthalate) thin film, or a transparent EVA (Ethylene vinyl acetate)thin film.